Hotel Loyalty Programs

InterContinental Hotels Group announced a new partnership with Amazon, through which members of the hotelier’s IHG Rewards loyalty program will receive complimentary access to Kindle books and Kindle Singles.
The number of books a member will receive will depend on the individual member’s elite status. Club members will be able to choose to receive either one Kindle book from Amazon Publishing or one Kindle Single, which are essays, memoirs, narratives, or …

Carlson Hotels announced the start of a new promotion, Decisions Decisions.
Under the terms of the new promotion, members of the hotel chain’s Club Rewards guest loyalty program have the option of earning either double points on all eligible stays, or double elite qualifying nights on each eligible night.
The promotion will be available through December 31 of this year.
Members must register for the promotion prior to their first qualifying stay, and …

Choice Hotels International announced the launch of its Stay Twice, Earn a Free Night program.
The new promotion allows members of the company’s Choice Privileges loyalty program to earn up to 8,000 points by booking and completing two separate qualifying stays by November 11.
The points are sufficient for a free night at over 1,500 Choice Hotels properties.
Members can register for the promotion online.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)

Starwood Preferred Guest announced a major update to the SPG Keyless system, which gives guests keyless access to hotel room via a smartphone app. The system is currently in use at over 160 Aloft, Element, and W properties in over 30 countries.
The app now supports additional Starwood brands, namely Le Méridien, Westin, Sheraton, and Four Points, and the system is being deployed at nine properties including Le Méridien Parkhotel Frankfurt, …

Marriott Hotels and Resorts announced the launch of its Summer Bonus Points promotion.
The new offer allows members of the hotel company’s Marriott Rewards loyalty program to earn up to 10,000 bonus points.
Members may register for the promotion online. Once registered, members will earn 2,000 bonus points on every paid stay, starting with their second stay, up to 10,000 points.
The promotion will run through September 5 of this year.
(Photo: Accura Media …

Wyndham Hotel Group announced a revamping of its Wyndham Rewards guest loyalty program. The changes include four new membership levels and a new local experience program.
The program is introducing Membership Levels, Blue, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond, as well as rollover nights towards the next reward. The new local experience program is available at the hotelier’s top 25 destination cities.
Local experiences will include indoor sky diving in Orlando, a walking pizzeria …

Choice Hotels International announced the introduction of a new discounted members-only rate.
Beginning this summer, the rate will be available on the hotelier’s website and mobile app for members of its Choice Privilege loyalty program.
The discount is the latest in a series of improvements and benefits that the company has added to its guest loyalty program in recent months.
Earlier this year, Choice began offering faster rewards for its members, including Your …

It was love at first sight and the most unexpected encounter I’ve ever had at a hotel. Sally, a Chihuahua mix, was living large in the reception area of the Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort and Spa, looking for a guest to adopt as part of the hotel’s pet adoption program.
Sally let me take her for a walk around the property’s beautiful grounds and it was clear that we enjoyed …

Pan Am, the nation’s unofficial flag carrier and a cultural icon, ceased operations on Wednesday (December 4) after what could only be described as a tumultuous decade both for both the airline and the airline industry. It is the second major U.S. airline to cease operations this year.
Had Frequent Business Traveler existed in 1991, some 25 years ago, that could have been the lead paragraph of the top news story …